How different will F1 2015 be?

The anticipation is building ahead of the start of the 2015 Formula 1 season. JONATHAN NOBLE asks whether things have actually moved on since the end of last year

An exclusive battle at the front between Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton. Mercedes engines the benchmark. Teams at the back facing financial difficulties. The spectre of customer cars still alive and well.

You could be forgiven for thinking that Formula 1 begins its new season in Australia this weekend with not much having changed since the garages were packed up in Abu Dhabi last year. In fact, it seems that the margin between both ends of the grid has got wider.